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She said:“My sympathies are with the victims of these despicable crimes and my thanks go to Police Scotland Officers and staff who are working hard to bring people to justice.

“One instance of sexual crime is one too many.

“The Scottish Government is also working to prosecute these criminals by allocating an additional £1.1million to the Crown prosecution service to prevent court delays and ensure justice is swift.

“The Scottish Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf, is also taking part in a Victim’s Task Force and taking steps to ensure the justice system is more accommodating for victims of crime and to enhance their rights.

“Last week, I met with Chief Superintendent Waddell.

“I am confident that local police are making great efforts to combat crime across North Lanarkshire – particularly sexual crime.

“Thanks to women uniting across the world through events like ‘Me Too’, more and more women have the bravery to come forward seeing that they do not stand alone.

“Through changing attitudes and supporting judicial services, together we can combat sexism and sexual crimes.”

North Lanarkshire Conservative Group Leader Meghan Gallacher hit out at the Scottish Government over the figures.

She said: “This report is deeply worrying and will cause concern throughout North Lanarkshire.

“People want to feel safe in their community and these figures will not provide reassurance that the Scottish Government is committed to reducing sexual crime rates.

“The Police always do the best they can but this figure outlines the Scottish Government’s failure to resource our force properly.

“It is no coincidence that we have an increase in crime whilst our front line officers are being cut.

“Under this SNP Government we now live in society where the criminal is less likely to be caught, than being brought to justice.

“The SNP must get a grip of our justice system and restore public confidence.”

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A Scottish Government spokesman said crime recorded in North Lanarkshire has fallen by almost a third since 2008-09.

He said: “Scotland’s streets are now safer and less violent than they were a decade ago.

“Crime recorded by the police in North Lanarkshire has fallen by nearly a third (30 per cent) between 2008-09 and 2017-18.

“The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey shows the overall level of crime across Scotland, including crime not reported to the police, has also fallen by nearly a third (32 per cent) over the past decade.

“Police numbers remain high, with more than 900 more officers compared to 2007, while the number of officers in England and Wales have fallen by almost 20,000.”

Across Scotland, non-sexual crimes of violence increased by one per cent from 7,164 to 7,251.

The recording of these crimes remains at a lower level than all years between 1975 and 2013.

Crimes recorded by the police in Scotland also increased by one per cent.